With this QB class not getti ng it done. Why doesn't one of these QB needy teams toss a second rounder at the Pats for Mallett. He's played two seasons in the NFL now. Has stayed out of trouble ( which is one of the reasons he dropped ). And the Pats are low on picks this draft. Seems like a perfect off season for them to flip this kid.

I think the Cards should take a shot at this kid. First off, they have talent at the WR spot for him to have successes. Fitz, Andre Roberts and Michael Floyd is a beast like core that with a QB could and should take over games. Also we all know now that Bruce Arians knows how to coach the QB's and offense.

If not a 2nd rounder maybe a switch of spots in the first and a 5th. So the cards still keep their picks and the Pats get to move up.

Word is the Pats aren't interested in dealing Mallett how true that is??? dunno.

We actually had a pretty big discussion about this on the Pats board on Friday. For me I wouldn't do it unless it was for a 2nd or above. For as good as Brady is I don't see how tanking a season with a roster as good as the Patriots have is worth risking for a 3rd or lower draft pick. With Brady being 36 the likelihood of injury is increasing every day.

Nobody can confirm or deny how BB and co. really feel about Mallett (this is New England we're talking about, things are generally pretty tight lipped here), but I'm sure if they think that he's starting caliber they won't force their hand over the prospect of a 3rd round choice this year.

If Mallett has been impressive in New England, why would they want to trade him? Brady's getting up there in age, who's to say they don't view Mallett as the QBOTF?

I remember thinking the Pats got an absolute steal when they drafted him. He had the best arm to come out in the last few years and they got him in the 3rd because of drug rumors (which were never confirmed).

If Mallett has been impressive in New England, why would they want to trade him? Brady's getting up there in age, who's to say they don't view Mallett as the QBOTF?

They might, but another team might see him as a valuable asset to have under contract too.
How long is Mallett's rookie contract?? 4 years?? It's hard to imagine NE giving Mallett a lucrative deal on his 2nd contract when he's been riding the bench just to keep him in the fold.
If Mallett only has a 4 year rookie deal, the Pats are going to have to make or decision about Mallett's future with the team after next season or they might lose him.

They might, but another team might see him as a valuable asset to have under contract too.
How long is Mallett's rookie contract?? 4 years?? It's hard to imagine NE giving Mallett a lucrative deal on his 2nd contract when he's been riding the bench just to keep him in the fold.
If Mallett only has a 4 year rookie deal, the Pats are going to have to make or decision about Mallett's future with the team after next season or they might lose him.

This. Word is if/when Matt Cassell becomes available, they'll look to bring him back and could make Mallett expendable.

You have to remember, with Brady locked up through 2017, Mallett is not going to want to continue to sit the bench. His contract is up in 2 years and New England can get a good market for him in a very depleeted QB availability this off-season, in both draft and free agency.

I think they can get a 2nd this year for him and conditional pick next year.

Every team that needs a QB should be interested in him. If you can get him for a 2nd it's a steal. He was good enough to go first round anyway, he's had two years behind Tom Brady, two years under Bill Belichick and hasn't gotten into trouble since he was drafted. And then factor in the QB's that will be available this year and Mallett looks a lot better. NE might even hold out for a 1st round pick because I think it could be possible.

They might, but another team might see him as a valuable asset to have under contract too.
How long is Mallett's rookie contract?? 4 years?? It's hard to imagine NE giving Mallett a lucrative deal on his 2nd contract when he's been riding the bench just to keep him in the fold.
If Mallett only has a 4 year rookie deal, the Pats are going to have to make or decision about Mallett's future with the team after next season or they might lose him.

They have 2 years to make that decision though. If they let it play out, the older he gets the less value he'll have to opposing teams. If some team comes out and pays him more than the Pats are willing to (lets say he gets a Matt Flynn type contract), they'll probably get a 4th rounder as a compensatory selection. To me the possibility of having 2 years of Mallett as a backup, and getting the shot to see if he's potentially the successor to Brady is well worth giving up a 3rd right away, and getting a comp pick in return.

Mallett is the Pats best shot at a smooth transition from Brady. It's going to be next to impossible to keep him here until Brady hangs them up, but it's still worth a try. Picking from where they usually pick, they will not find anyone with more potential than Mallett.

He's not going to be Brady's successor. You think he's going to sign a contract with the Pats to play on the bench for another 2 years? After already being on the bench for 4 years. It's not going to happen. You either trade him now and get a something like a 2nd, or lose him in free agency like the Packers did with Matt Flynn.

How would you know if he's good enough or not? What has he done to show he's worth a 1st or 2nd round pick?

If he was eligible for this year's draft, where would you take him? I think in college he showed at least enough to be drafted in the 2nd round area and I don't think it's unreasonable to assume he's closer to being NFL ready after sitting behind Brady for 2 years.

A 1st rounder might be a little high for me, but I think he'd be worth a mid round 2nd for sure.

He's not going to be Brady's successor. You think he's going to sign a contract with the Pats to play on the bench for another 2 years? After already being on the bench for 4 years. It's not going to happen. You either trade him now and get a something like a 2nd, or lose him in free agency like the Packers did with Matt Flynn.

Who knows if anybody will offer him a starting job in 2 years though? If I'm Mallett and the Patriots tell me I'm their QB of the future, and there is comparable money and security to stay it would be a hard decision not to. Would you want to play for the organization that has had 3 long term starting QB's in the better part of 4 decades, or would you want to get cast into a QB cesspool like Arizona, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Kansas City, or Oakland? Also, Brady is going to be 38 when Mallet's contract expires, who knows what kind of physical condition he'll be in at that point.

It's very shortsighted to just trade away a QB with great tools for a mediocre return just for sake of getting something a little better for him before he leaves. A 2nd-3rd round pick vs. a 4th round comp pick doesn't really seem worth it to me.

The same people who think it's ridiculous to spend a 1st or 2nd round pick on Mallett wouldn't bat an eye at spending a #1 overall pick on Geno Smith or a 2nd round pick on Matt Barkley or Ryan Nassib. None of those players have any meaningful NFL snaps to evaluate either.

When it comes to quarterbacks, it's all about projection. Matt Flynn got a big contract after one start. Matt Schaub went for a 2nd round pick and a swap of 1st round picks after two career starts and a 1:1 TD:INT ratio.

Mallett was drafted in a 3rd round and has done nothing but increase his value by keeping his nose clean (pun intended).